BEIJING (AFP) - US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday the United States and China had launched a joint clean energy initiative -- one of the largest research collaborations between two countries in the world.

The scheme aims to enable joint research and development of clean energy technologies, including carbon capture, electric vehicles and energy-efficient buildings.

"This is one of the largest research collaborations between two countries," Chu said, pointing to the 150-million-dollar investment earmarked for the initiative over five years from private and public funding.

It does not involve a physical centre but will see teams of scientists and engineers from both countries collaborating.

The plan was first announced in November 2009 when US President Barack Obama came to China for a state visit.

"In the next several decades, the (Chinese) leadership says that there will be one United States' worth of infrastructure that has to be built in China," Chu told reporters.

He said both China and the United States -- the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters -- were now keen to build their infrastructure in the most energy-efficient way possible.

"In this respect, the two countries' interests are incredibly aligned -- the sharing of technologies is a very natural thing."